26 JULY - 25 AUGUST 2026
It alll starts here...
After a hectic week getting work up to date and prepping my laptop so I could work while travelling, and dealing with all the last-minute things that suddenly decided to go wrong at home, we headed to the airport at 4:30pm on Sunday.
We had an easy 15-hour flight from Cape Town to Washington and arrived thinking we had plenty of time to make our connection. What we didn’t know is that Washington is know for its terrible customs queue management. For nearly 2 hours the queue barely moved, people around us started missing their connecting flights and we were becoming increasingly convinced we would too. Finally we made it through, grabbed our bags and rushed to check in, with just enough time left to grab a takeaway before boarding.
26–27 July 2026 | Cape Town → Fort Lauderdale
We landed in Fort Lauderdale late morning and Rick met us at the airport to give us a ride. We stepped straight out into Florida’s 30-degree heat and humidity, still dressed in our Cape Town winter clothes.
Dropped our bags at Hotel Dello, our base for the next few days while we get the boat ready, and went to go check her out. A beautiful, sleek, 42ft catamaran moored in the canals at a private home.
We made a quick stop at Sailorman, a huge second-hand sailing shop owned by a South African, where I found myself a pair of fins for the trip.
Later we headed down to the beachfront and walked along the promenade. There were loads of bars and restaurants and a few fairly colourful characters. Storm clouds were gathering, but it was warm and humid, so we grabbed some beers and wandered. We reached the car just as the rain started and retreated to a slightly divey-looking diner for burgers which were excellent.
Wide awake at 4:30am thanks to jet lag, I got some work done before we were meeting Rick for breakfast at 8am. Rick had a long list of things to sort out on the boat and didn’t need us, so Lester and I caught an Uber to go check out Miami.
We were dropped in a strangely suburban-looking neighbourhood, but a short walk brought us into Miami’s Design District – expensive shops, art, gardens and impressive buildings. Then the rain started so we ducked under a bridge for shelter. We found a free bus heading towards the waterfront and hopped on.
The waterfront was busy and very touristy, with a huge Ferris wheel, restaurants, shops and market stalls lining the harbour.
Then a proper Florida storm arrived. Thunder, lightning and absolutely bucketing rain so we took cover at Lupiza Tacos & Tequila, where we sat in the sheltered but open-air section sharing shrimp tacos and drinking enormous margaritas while chatting with a very friendly waitress.
About 40 minutes later the storm simply disappeared, and the sun came out as though nothing had happened. Apparently this is just what Florida does.
28 July 2026 | Miami
We walked through downtown, past some fantastic street art including a giant Mona Lisa covering the side of a building. Over a drawbridge and through a neighbourhood with loads of free-roaming chickens. It was now getting really hot so when we spotted another free bus pulling up across the road, we ran for it. We had no idea where it was going, so after a few stops we hoped off hoping we were close to Little Havana.
As we were just about ready to give up on finding it we turned a corner and wham, Little Havana.
The main road is Calle Ocho – colourful, noisy and full of life, lined with Cuban restaurants, bars and music.
At the first restaurant we encountered, a friendly waiter convinced us to sit down for a happy-hour drink, then promptly disappeared off to his next gig. The not-so-friendly owner came out and informed us that happy hour hadn’t actually started yet but since we were already sitting down we shared a beer and moved on.
For a late lunch we chose Cubaocho, a wonderfully Cuban-feeling spot with live music and outside tables perfect for people-watching. Cuban sandwiches, chicharrón, croquettes and big happy-hour mojitos followed. Delicious!
We Ubered back to the hotel and met Rick at the bar. The barman told us about a famous nearby ice-cream shop called Jaxson’s, so we went to check it out. The place was super busy. The decor was a sort of cluttered retro carnival and they served more than 50 flavours of ice-cream in huge portions. Their infamous Kitchen Sink is literally served in a kitchen sink and intended for four people. I reckon it could feed twelve. And they sound an alarm when somebody orders one.
Rick & I ordered the smallest portions available and I still couldn’t finish mine. Lester arrived and ordered the half-pound Mile-Long hot dog. He had been in the weed shop next door to buy some gummies for the boat – and that story comes next…
